History of Malcesine

Malcesine was long a battlefield between rival powers in its position
commanding the eastern side of Lake Garda with the important control
over land access north and south.

Remains have been discovered from the days of the Etruscan settlers
and the burial plots near the mountains are thought to provided one
version of the town name (the other theory is that Malcesine refers
to the rock in the area).

The castle (more information below) is an indication of the importance
of this strategic point many centuries ago. The main fortification
of the area took place under the Lombards and then the Franks in the
9th century, who extended the castle and built the city walls.

Scaliger
Castle
The impressive Scaliger castle on a promontory above the port of Malcesine
has a rich history. The site was originally fortified by the Lombards
followed by the Franks and the Bishopric of Verona. It's current "look"
shows the Scaliger influence from the time in the 13th and 14 centuries
when it was controlled by the Della Scala family. It has now been declared
a national monument and it is possible to visit both the castle and the
Museum of Natural History (covering the coast and Monte Baldo) which
is located inside.

The Bishops of Verona, and later the Della Scala family, took over
control before it passed into the hands of the Venetian land empire.
Under the Venetian rulers the confederation of lake settlements was
created: the Gardesana dell’Acqua. The Captain of the Lake had his
headquarters in Malcesine in the Captain's Palace which still exists.

Church
of St Stefano
The church of St Stephen (the patron saint of Malcesine) is visible
from the lake in its position above the main town. A religious building
has stood in this position for centuries - originally thought to be
the site of a pagan temple, the first Christian place of worship was
constructed in the time of the Franks. The current baroque building
dates from the 18th century and houses the remains of two local saints,
St Benigno and St Caro, who were reputed to have lived in a cave at
the foot of Monte Baldo.

The decline of the Venetian Serenissima was sealed by the French invasion
under Napoleon and Malcesine again stood as a border post for different
sides during wars with French and Austrian participation.

Monte
Baldo
Monte Baldo, the mountain behind the castle in the picture to the left,
is a main centre for active sports in the area. Mountainbikers, walkers
and paragliders flock to it in the summer, while it also has ski runs
open in the winter time. It is reached via the cable cars run from
Malcesine (the summit at just under 1800m can of course also be reached
on foot) which
boast a revolving cable car with a panoramic
view in all directions. More information about the lifts is available
at the Funivie del Baldo
website.

Malcesine was already a popular tourist destination - Goethe (who
spent time locked up for sketching the castle during a particularly
tense period) and Klimt (who painted settlements on the eastern lakeshore
by means of a telescope) were both prominent visitors - but tourism
boomed once the Gardesana Occidentale road was built
along the eastern side of the lake.